* The over-hyped, Oprah Winfrey interview with Harry and Meghan arguably under-delivered for a lot of those 17.1 million viewers. Some called it a “whine-a-thon” for the couple who fled toxic tabloids and a lack of security. The CBS interview referenced racism as well as bullying by “The Firm” and revealed “suicidal thoughts” by the Duchess of Sussex. But credibility was undermined early when Meghan Markle indicated she had gone into the marriage with Prince Harry “naively.” She did no research on the monarchy and knew next to nothing about the history and customs ofBuckingham Palace and the Royal Family. Seemingly, she didn’t even see “The Crown.” Tabloid readers familiar with “Hurricane Meghan,” “Megxile” and “Megxit” knew far more than she did. She likely prepped better for her role in “Suits.”
But we did learn a couple of things. Oprah doesn’t always prepare well—and, no, there were no restrictions on her questions–Meghan is pregnant with a girl, and as a 13-year-old in Los Angeles, she once worked at “Humphrey Yogart.” Future episodes of “The Crown,” often an exercise in royal intrigue and gossip, might indicate a fast-forwarding to get to the royal fairy tale that never was. Camilla who?
* Owing to freefalling revenues, the Tampa Bay Times has closed its St. Petersburg printing plant on 34th Street and is putting it and its 27 acres up for sale. Printing will now relocate to Lakeland. But a shout-out to the Times for last Sunday’s Floridian cover story that featured many of the longtime staffers. It was a tribute to those who made it happen over the bygone, pre-digital years. For them, it’s a keeper, even if the plant and their jobs aren’t.
* Shouldn’t it be Fox “News”?
* “We deify people too quickly, and we demonize people too quickly.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.